Marty Gordon
NRVsports@ourvalley.org
A Christiansburg high school distance runner has been recognized for his effort on and off the track.
Senior Cooper Neeble has been named the Class 3 Male Athlete of the Year by the Virginia High School League and the Allstate Foundation.
An estimated $28,500 in scholarships will be awarded to 19 Virginia high school seniors, like Neeble..
The Achievement Awards are the highest honors given by the Virginia High School League to students who have excelled in the classroom, communities and in athletic and academic activities.
The Allstate Foundation has partnered with VHSL for 12 years and contributed $261,000 in scholarship funds to empower and support the education of tomorrow’s leaders.
“The Allstate Foundation is proud to support these next generation leaders and history-makers from Virginia,” Allstate Senior Corporate Relations Manager Shaundra Turner Jones, said. “These amazing young students have shown outstanding initiative both in and outside of the classroom. It is an honor to assist them in their future endeavors and watch them achieve their full potential.”
Neeble, who has committed to run in the fall for Roanoke College, holds the CHS school record in the 2000m Steeplechase, which he ran in the last 2018 outdoor track season and also shares the 4X800 indoor and outdoor school records (8:02.84 and 8:03.10 respectively.
He ran with Ethan Mills, Alex Watty and Trey Wilson and that group also won the VHSL State 4X800m relay this past outdoor season. They hold the school’s Distance Medley Relay school record for outdoor with a time of 10:27.31 in winning the New Balance Nationals Outdoor Emerging Elite Section.
As a student, Neeble has been a part of FCA, BETA Club, NHS, and other clubs. He was also been awarded membership in the Phi-Theta-Kappa academic honors society and has been on the honor roll since his freshman year.
He has been competing at varsity level since his freshman year and was named co-team leader this past fall for the cross-country team.
A luncheon to honor this year’s Allstate winners will be held May 20 at the Omni Hotel in Charlottesville.
